Guardians of the Seal
by srg3332
Summary: Kamui receives an unexpected gift which could affect the "Promised Day" in this light-hearted DoH-centric fiction about the ending of X.
1. Kamui and the Big Surprise

This is an X timeline story that features some crossover characters from another story. Spoiler warnings for the other series will be posted in the next chapter.  
  
Spoilers: This takes place after X16 and includes all the events related to Subaru in X 17 and the January 2002 Asuka.   
  
Pairings: Mostly Sorata+Arashi and Yuzuriha+Kusanagi, there will also be a little Seiichirou+Karen and Subaru+Kamui as well as a few other pairings.  
  
I don't own X.  
  
Feedback is very appreciated.  
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Guardians of the Seal  
by Rachel  
  
Chapter 1: Kamui and the Big Surprise  
  
  
"Kamui seems very depressed," said Akira Ijyuin.  
  
"I think it is because he has lost the person who protects him," replied Nokuru Imonoyama.  
  
"But Suoh hasn't gone anywhere," responded Akira in confusion.  
  
Suoh Takamura looked at Nokuru, who was trying not to chuckle at Akira's general lack of understanding of the world.  
  
"I don't think I'm quite who Rijichou meant, Akira," explained Suoh patiently.  
  
The three sat in companionable silence.  
  
"Perhaps we should do something to cheer up Kamui," Akira suggested thoughtfully.  
  
The three former Clamp Campus Detectives tried to think about what they could do for the young Seal. Kamui had seemed particularly down since the departure of Subaru Sumeragi. If things continued as they were, the Campus Trio were concerned about what would happen on the "Promised Day." All three sat pensively at their desks trying to figure out their options.   
  
They had already tried to find the Sumeragi; Suoh had tracked him down, only to discover that Subaru had decided to become the Sakurazukamori and had taken the previous Sakurazukamori's place as a Chi no Ryu. None of the trio had felt like revealing this sad fact to Kamui. They were not completely sure if this would push him over the brink or help harden him to the task at hand. They hoped for the latter, but feared it would be the former and so had kept quiet on the subject despite several requests from Kamui to help him look for Subaru. They all felt somewhat dejected in their inability to help Kamui. Suddenly Nokuru's fan snapped open. On the fan was written "An idea."  
  
"What is it, Rijichou?" asked Akira.  
  
"I think it is time we use the secret information given to us by Tokiko-san," replied Nokuru.  
  
Suoh frowned. "I though Tokiko-san asked us to only use that information for an emergency."  
  
"I think this might qualify," Nokuru said softly.   
  
********************************  
  
It took several days before Nokuru was able to put his plan into action. Suoh and Akira spent the next week working on the information Tokiko had supplied to Nokuru when she had made the videotape for Kamui. The information was not complete, requiring Akira to use his computer expertise and Suoh to use his tracking skills to complete the puzzle. Nokuru checked their progress and gave encouragement when Suoh and Akira seemed to be stuck in a quagmire. He also, much to Suoh's amazement, actually worked on some Clamp Campus paperwork. "This whole 'Promised Day' must have been really bothering Rijichou for him to actually do some paperwork," thought Suoh. Finally, contact was made and a meeting was set. Akira prepared refreshments for the main event and the trio was ready to put their plan into action.  
  
********************************  
  
Kamui and the five remaining Seals gathered in Nokuru's office. None of the Seals looked particularly pleased. Subaru's departure had been difficult on them all, and Kamui's subsequent depression hadn't made things easier. Sorata Arisugawa was angry at the onmyouji for abandoning their cause and causing Kamui's decline. Subaru must have seen how Kamui looked at him. Sorata thought Subaru was either the most oblivious magic user in Japan or the most selfish.  
  
Nokuru smiled at the assembled Seals and fixed his smile on Kamui. The violet-eyed boy began to feel a bit nervous. While he didn't know Nokuru well, what little Kamui knew of him led Kamui to believe that this smile could only mean trouble. Kamui's alarm bells started to ring even louder when he saw Akira roll in a tray laden with various refreshments before moving to Nokuru's side. There was way too much food for eight people on that tray, even with Yuzuriha's and Sorata's appetites. Something was definitely wrong.   
  
Nokuru wasn't sure how to introduce his guest. He smiled and opened his fan, a nervous tic. The fan read "Surprise."   
  
"I called this meeting so I could introduce you all to someone very important," began Nokuru. The eyes of the Seals riveted onto him.  
"As I'm sure you've noticed, Kamui has been a little down lately, so Suoh and Akira and I have spent a lot of time tracking this person down in hopes that it would cheer him up."  
  
Kamui sucked in a nervous breath. He really hated to be the center of attention like this. He had never asked to be in charge of the Ten no Ryu, he had never asked to be in charge of saving humanity, and he never asked to have more than an ordinary destiny. Since leaving Tokyo with his mother, he hadn't really hoped or wished for much of anything. A thought nudged the back of his mind. Nokuru had mentioned tracking someone down -- maybe they'd found Subaru. Maybe Subaru had returned! Kamui hoped that this would be Nokuru's news, but with Kamui's spate of bad luck, something told him that this would not be what Nokuru was announcing with great flourish. It seemed unlikely that Subaru's return would warrant such attention or several trays of desserts. But despite his recent painful experiences, Kamui still hoped that this would be the announcement Nokuru was working up to.   
  
Nokuru smiled at the assembled crowd. He just knew this was going to be a terrific bombshell and he couldn't believe how lucky he was to introduce the guest. If he wasn't standing in front of everyone, he would have hugged himself over the anticipation he was causing.  
  
"I'd like you all to meet Kamui's father."  
  
A gasp of shock arose from the Seals. Kamui knew nothing about his father and neither did the other Seals.   
  
Karen Kasumi, having been brought up Christian, had long suspected Kamui was a virgin birth since he was the 'chosen' one; this new revelation dashed that thought. Sorata Arisugawa had always found it amusing that none of the Seals seemed to have had a father. Arashi Kishuu felt a tinge of jealousy, having wondered herself who her father was. Yuzuriha Nekoi, like Sorata, had never known either of her parents and felt a flush of excitement that Kamui would have this opportunity. Seiichirou Aoki thought of his own daughter and wondered if she would ever see her father again. Kamui had always assumed his father was dead and that this was why his mother had never said a word about him. A father!  
  
Suoh walked into the room. Behind him walked a cheerful-looking high school girl carrying what looked like a small stuffed animal, followed by a relatively tall junior high school boy wearing glasses. The boy stopped and stared at Kamui with a large smile. It was a very large smile.  
  
"Kamui, I'd like you to meet your father, Eriol Hiragiizawa."  
  
The room was silent for a whole minute before everyone started making noise at once.  
  
Sorata and Yuzuriha couldn't stop laughing. A tall, pale junior high school boy was Kamui's father?!?! Even Arashi had a hard time stifling her giggles. Kamui had turned various shades of red, embarrassed beyond belief. His already large eyes had become even wider from shock and horror. What sort of joke was Nokuru playing on him? This boy was younger than him! Kamui glared angrily about the room in a fruitless attempt to stop the merriment. The boy, Eriol, was taller than Kamui and continued to stare at Kamui from behind his glasses with a wide grin. There was something unsettling about this, but the mortified Kamui couldn't really place his finger on what.  
  
"Excuse me, Nokuru-san," began Karen once the giggling fits had died down, "but how can this boy..." Karen waited patiently until the gales of laughter subsided again, "...be Kamui's father?"  
  
"Isn't a father generally older than his son?" asked Seiichirou, who was having a hard time keeping a straight face.  
  
Kamui's face now mostly consisted of his eyes, and he was livid. Eriol decided he rather liked his cute son, who reminded him of another cute relative of his.   
  
"Perhaps we should let Hiragiizawa-san explain," smiled Nokuru.  
  
Eriol looked out at his audience. This was going to be interesting. His life had been rather dull since leaving Tokyo, and when he was contacted by the Imonoyama group he had known it was time to return. He'd been preparing for this day since he had met Tohru. 


	2. Kamui, Eriol and the Gift

Spoilers: This takes place after X16 and includes all the events related to Subaru in X 17 and the January 2002 Asuka and all of Card Captor Sakura, manga and anime.  
  
I don't own X or Card Captor Sakura.  
  
Feedback is appreciated.  
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Guardians of the Seal  
by Rachel  
  
Chapter 2: Kamui, Eriol and the Gift  
  
Eriol stood in the center of the room while everyone stared at him in rapt attention. Eriol was rather amused and pleased with this, as he liked being the center of attention. His son had an expression somewhere between anger and embarrassment which he had seen often on the face of his Li relation. That, however, only amused Eriol more.  
  
"I'm actually much older than I look," smiled Eriol. "Up until recently, I was the magical half of the reincarnation of Clow Reed. I'm really closer to 40 years old, but I've made myself look this way for certain personal reasons."  
  
Karen delicately raised one eyebrow. She didn't want to know what sort of reasons a 40-year-old man had for looking like he was in junior high.  
  
"Who's Clow Reed?" asked Yuzuriha.  
  
"Clow Reed was a magician who combined Eastern and Western magic," explained Suoh. The Takamura family required study of different magicians to prepare themselves for the people they would protect.  
  
"Kamui's family name is Shirou, but yours is Hiragiizawa," stated Arashi suspiciously. While she knew Imonoyama-san would never do something purposely to endanger Kamui, this all seemed a bit too extraordinary in her opinion.  
  
"When you've stayed young for as long as I have, you must sometimes use different last names to avoid arousing suspicion," Eriol replied disarmingly.  
  
The answer seemed plausible and Arashi found she couldn't argue against it.  
  
"I met Kamui's mother, Tohru, when I was in Japan on some business. Because of her magic, she knew I was the reincarnation of Clow, and because I'm Clow, I can see the future."  
  
The room went silent.  
  
"So do we win?" asked Sorata in a cheerful voice.  
  
"I'm sorry, Arisugawa-san, but there were four things I couldn't predict, and one of those things was who will win this war of destiny. I did know that because of my abilities I was meant to be the father of Kamui. I hope that my contribution to the effort will save humanity." Eriol smiled at Kamui, and the grin seemed almost malevolent to Kamui, or perhaps just mischievous. Either way, it really upset him and sent shivers up his spine. This was not the father he had wished for at any point in his young life.  
  
"How did you know Sorata-san's name?" gasped Yuzuriha, who still seemed a bit stunned by this whole turn of events.  
  
"Imonoyama-san kindly told me everyone's name before I entered the room. By the way, I like your puppy, Nekoi-san."  
  
He could see Inuki! He really did have some sort of magical ability.  
  
Eriol walked over to Kamui, who started to turn scarlet as everyone in the room stared at him and his father.  
  
"You really do take after the Li side of the family. It's not just your stature and your hair style."  
  
Sorata immediately started laughing again.  
  
Kamui started to sputter and scowled.   
  
"I can't stay here long, Kamui-chan, but I wanted to make sure to give you my gift before I left. I've been preparing this gift for you for many years. Please give me your hand."  
  
The sputtering boy stopped. Eriol spoke with such a commanding voice, Kamui could do little but obey. Eriol placed a strange-looking key in his son's hand. The key was rather large and on one end had a red, metallic top depicting the Big Dipper.   
  
"What is this?" asked Kamui.  
  
"It's your gift, along with these two guardians. I'd like you to meet Nakuru Akizuki and Spinel."  
  
The high school girl got up and smiled at Kamui. Nakuru was feeling particularly restrained today. She knew what this meeting meant, and despite her excitement about finally meeting "him" she was nervous about the upcoming change. Eriol had spent quite a bit of time preparing her for this day and she was determined not to disappoint him. Spinel appeared apathetic, and his quietness hardly seemed abnormal. Nakuru felt sure, though, that Spinel was also thinking about what Eriol had told them.   
  
The cat-like creature Nakuru was carrying, which everyone had thought was a stuffed animal, flew into the air and hovered near her.   
  
This was all getting a bit strange for Kamui. He looked at the boy who was his father.  
  
"Thanks so much Oyaji, but I'm fighting to protect humanity. I don't see how a girl, a flying cat and a key are going to help me."   
  
Eriol looked at his son critically, and lifted his hand to touch Kamui's cheek. "Do you ever smile, Kamui-chan?"  
  
This was too much for poor Sorata. He had tried really hard to keep a straight face, but this was just so...  
  
"Quiet!" hissed Arashi, who looked like she was getting ready to do something violent to him if he didn't behave. Sorata tried to think of something horrible, something dreadful, to keep down the laughter that threatened to overwhelm him.  
  
From out of nowhere, Eriol was suddenly holding an unusual black elliptical hat. It was quite grand, and nearly a meter long from tip to tip. He placed it on Kamui's head. "I wish Daidouji-san was here to make a costume for you. From what I hear, all you seem to wear is a school uniform," scolded Eriol in a mild voice. "Perhaps there is some way to contact her..."  
  
Loud guffaws were heard coming from the direction of Sorata, who soon found himself being kicked by Arashi in an attempt to get some decorum out of him. Kamui was gritting his teeth through all this. He was beginning to think that Karen, Sorata, Arashi, and Yuzuriha were lucky they'd never met their fathers.  
  
"O key that hides the power of darkness, a boy wishes to make a contract with you; Kamui is his name. RELEASE!"  
  
Before the eyes of the assembled company the key started spinning around and suddenly became a huge staff with a picture of the big dipper at its top. A strange glowing circle appeared beneath the staff and Kamui. Winds started to whip around the circle separating Kamui, Nakuru, Spinel and the wand from the others.  
  
"Are you doing this?" whispered Karen to Seiichirou. Seiichirou tried to turn to look at Karen, but couldn't take his eyes off the tableau before him. Instead he merely shook his head.  
  
"He is always doing things to extremes, isn't he?" whispered Nakuru to Spinel. "I wonder if Kamui will be so ostentatious." Spinel smiled and realized he really was going to miss his eccentric master.  
  
"Kamui-chan, take the wand," called Eriol.  
  
Kamui pondered whether this was a good idea or not but before he could really make up his mind, he found himself reaching for the wand. Sparks flew and the winds died down.  
  
"You are now the master of the wand. Transform your Guardians by saying 'Return to your true forms, Spinel Sun, Ruby Moon.'"  
  
Kamui did as he was commanded. The girl and cat were swallowed by a red light and their shapes started to metamorphose. The small flying cat became a large black panther with butterfly wings (Eriol did have a taste for the absurd), and the girl became a pink-haired woman with butterfly wings and two buns in her long hair. It was truly an odd sight.  
  
"These are your guardians. When you need them simply take out the key, transform it into the wand, and then transform them. They will do their best to aid you in your role as a Ten no Ryu." Eriol smiled fondly at Kamui and then turned to smile at Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun. "Please look after my son. I will miss you both," he sighed under his breath. The room suddenly went dark, and when the lights snapped back on, Eriol had vanished.  
  
"See what I said about ostentatious," Ruby Moon remarked as she elbowed Spinel Sun. "It's not fair that I never get to make an exit like that!" she pouted.   
  
Kamui looked at the people in the room and fainted.  
  
"Good, more sweets for me!" gushed Ruby Moon, who dashed over to the trays and started to eat. Spinel Sun just sighed.  
  
********************************  
  
When Kamui awoke again it was morning. He hoped the day before had just been some sort of strange dream given to him by either Hinoto or Kakyou. He got ready for school but stopped short when he reached the breakfast table.   
  
"Ohayo!" chirped Nakuru.   
  
She had returned to her false form and was dressed in a Clamp school uniform. After welcoming Kamui, she turned back to her huge stack of pancakes and started to eat. Even Sorata seemed a bit taken aback by how much Nakuru was eating. Arashi came out of the kitchen with another plate full of pancakes and Spinel flew behind her carrying another. They both sat down at the table. It seemed like everyone was getting along well except for Kamui who was staring at the people sitting around the table as if they had lost their collective minds.  
  
"Nokuru-san has arranged for Nakuru to start classes with us, it seems she is going to be in classes with me and Ne-chan." Sorata gave a huge grin to Arashi as he said this. She glared at him for a moment and turned away to take some pancakes.   
  
"Better be careful, Ne-chan. If you don't start giving me some more affection, maybe I'll see if Nakuru would mind having me die for her." Sorata winked at Nakuru, who stopped eating her pancakes to clap her hands in joy.   
  
Yuzuriha couldn't believe that Nakuru ate more than she did and was genkier. What was this world coming to.  
  
"You could die for me!" responded Nakuru exuberantly as she wrapped her arms around Sorata.  
  
"You do know Nakuru isn't a female, don't you?" queried Spinel.  
  
Orange juice spurted out of Sorata's nose and mouth all over the table. "What?!?!?!?!" Sorata sputtered. He pushed Nakuru away from him.  
  
Kamui couldn't help himself. After all the humiliations he had faced yesterday, listening to the monk's laughter through it all, this was just too funny, and he started to laugh. At first it was just a small giggle, but soon it became a loud and raucous guffaw, almost as bad as some of the sounds that usually came from Sorata.  
  
When Kamui had first started to giggle, Yuzuriha had turned at the sound, wondering what it was. To her surprise, Kamui was soon doubled over laughing so hard tears streamed down his face.  
  
"I don't see what's so funny," said an indignant Sorata.  
  
Yuzuriha smiled at Sorata and started to laugh too. Soon Arashi joined in, as well as Nakuru. Only Spinel and Sorata, his pride still wounded, were silent. Yuzuriha turned to look at Kamui again. "Maybe this was a good idea," Yuzuriha thought for the first time since Nokuru's announcement. 


	3. /Kamui/ and the Strange Dream

/Kamui/=Fuuma. Fuuma and the Chi no Ryu think of Fuuma as /Kamui/. Kamui and the Dragons of Heaven think of Fuuma as Fuuma.  
  
I don't own X or Card Captor Sakura.  
  
Feedback is appreciated.  
********************************  
  
Guardians of the Seal  
by Rachel  
  
Chapter 3: /Kamui/ and the Strange Dream  
  
/Kamui/ walked through the darkened dreamscape on his way to the beach. It was always a rather boring walk because Kakyou hadn't made any scenery until you were practically right on top of him. /Kamui/ figured this minor annoyance was the price he had to pay for Kakyou's help and it was certainly something he was willing to put up with, since Kakyou had proven to be among his more useful Angels. As usual, /Kamui/ blinked as he found himself standing on a beach next to Kakyou Kuzuki. "Ohayo Kakyou!" The dreamgazer didn't even turn to look to see who had greeted him. "I guess he was expecting me," thought /Kamui/.  
  
"I saw something new last night," said the flat voice of the dreamgazer.  
  
This interested /Kamui/ a good deal. Turning on all his charm, /Kamui/ smiled down at the dreamgazer. "Pray tell, what was this dream? Did it involve anything of importance?"  
  
"I'm not sure," sighed the dreamgazer.  
  
This surprised /Kamui/, and there wasn't much that surprised /Kamui/. Unlike his hapless twin star, /Kamui/ seemed to be the half which had received all the poise. /Kamui/ tried to hide the uncertainty in his face as he looked at the dreamgazer more carefully. "What did you see?"  
  
"It was Tokyo Tower..." began Kakyou as if he was still in the dream.  
  
This immediately caught /Kamui/'s attention. Anything involving Tokyo Tower was important. The air around them started to shimmer as /Kamui/ saw the vision that had confused the dreamgazer. It was Tokyo Tower, but he didn't see himself or the other Kamui immediately. For some reason, /Kamui/ was standing on the ground looking up at the tower. As the view came into focus, he noticed two figures that were about the same height standing on the top of the building beneath the tower. On closer inspection, there was also another humanoid figure and a large feline form a short distance away from the two figures. The figures /Kamui/ had first noticed were the shortest. One was wearing a strange hat and flowing robes, and held a long staff; the other was holding a huge sword which /Kamui/ surmised was the Shinken. The one with the sword was clearly the other Kamui, but he couldn't make out the identity of the figure with the staff. The other humanoid figure was taller and appeared to be female. She had butterfly wings coming out of her back, as did the feline form. This was definitely a disconcerting vision. Try as they might, neither dreamgazer nor /Kamui/ could get a closer view of the figures. The image faded from view and Kakyou and /Kamui/ returned to the beach.   
  
"This warrants looking into," declared /Kamui/, as a small frown appeared on his face. /Kamui/ did not like surprises.  
  
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Upon returning from the dreamscape, /Kamui/ immediately started looking for Satsuki. Perhaps Beast would be able to find some information on the figures Kakyou had seen. It was never hard to find Satsuki Yatouji she spent most of her time with her computer, Beast. /Kamui/ called up to her but there was no response. While his Angels weren't always useful, they generally didn't wander far, so /Kamui/ knew that meant Satsuki was elsewhere in the building.   
  
He heard short bursts of giggling coming from behind a partially closed door. He opened the door to find Yuuto Kigai and Satsuki sitting down to tea together. Yuuto had just made some sort of witty comment and Satsuki was giggling in response. Well, at least he could get both of these Angels working on the problem at the same time.   
  
"Ohayogozaimasu Yuuto, Satsuki."  
  
Both looked up at him the moment he spoke. Yuuto was rather suspicious of their leader. He felt /Kamui/'s movements were too erratic at times and was concerned that the teen saw them all as playthings. Satsuki was also not overly fond of /Kamui/ as he had not proven quite as interesting as she would have liked. Neither trusted the cheery tone he was now using with them.  
  
"I went to visit Kakyou, and it seems something new has appeared in his dreams."  
  
This got the attention of both Angels.   
  
"I need information on Kakyou's vision, in which there are four figures at Tokyo Tower. I think one is the other Kamui, but the other three are something of a mystery. One is caped, wearing an odd hat and holding a wand. Another is female and has butterfly wings, and the third is a large feline with butterfly wings."  
  
Yuuto gave /Kamui/ a doubtful look. He wondered if someone had been giving Kakyou "a little something extra" to cause such visions. "I don't think there is going to be much in the newspapers about this."  
  
"Well, you have your work cut out for you, don't you?" smirked /Kamui/ who promptly walked out the door.  
  
"Is our tea break over then?" asked Satsuki.  
  
"He can wait," winked Yuuto.  
  
/Kamui/ knew Satsuki and Yuuto weren't going to start on their duties right away so decided he would contact the other Angels to help with the task at hand. Nataku would be useless in all this, but perhaps that tree-hugger would know something about the cat-creature. Shiyu did seem to have a natural affinity towards cats --And then there was the Sumeragi. As a Seal at one point, perhaps he had information which could prove useful. Who or whatever those other three figures on Tokyo Tower had been /Kamui/ was sure it was significant.  
  
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Seiichirou and Karen met for lunch at Il Forno in Roppongi. Both had wanted a chance to discuss the latest developments without having to worry about being overheard. Karen had picked the restaurant, and Seiichirou was surprised at how bright and open it was.   
  
Despite all of the recent earthquakes, the restaurant was quite busy, and Seiichirou was thankful Karen had called ahead and made a reservation. The destruction in Shibuya close to the station had eliminated some of the more popular lunch spots making those restaurants still open more crowded than usual. There were still many people in Tokyo in spite of the earthquakes.  
  
Seiichirou was still somewhat surprised that Roppongi's kekkai was still standing, but despite the large number of people who worked and played in the area, there were no real landmarks for the Angels to target. The closest target was the tower and that would not be touched until the "Promised Day."   
  
Karen wondered what Seiichirou was thinking about while she ordered them both lunches from the set menu. As the two oldest Seals, they were frequently together. Karen harbored a small crush on the wind master, but knew he was faithful to his wife. His very faithfulness attracted her more, and she hated feeling like she was stuck in a vicious circle. She sometimes wondered how much of her attraction to him was based on his kindness and how much was based on his unavailability.  
  
Neither one was sure how to broach the topic of what had happened the day before, although both wanted to talk about it. The silence between them stretched awkwardly. Finally, Karen raised an eyebrow, looked at Seiichirou and broke the silence. "Kamui does wear his school uniform all the time."  
  
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Yuzuriha walked next to Nakuru on their way back from class with Sorata and Arashi behind them. Kamui trailed several feet farther back.  
  
At first, Yuzuriha had been leery of this exuberant guardian, but now she was starting to enjoy Nakuru's presence. While Yuzuriha adored Arashi, Arashi hid behind a facade of seriousness that was hard to get past. Karen was also really nice, but more than twice her age. Nakuru seemed the perfect age and disposition.  
  
"So what does Spinel do while we are at school?" asked Yuzuriha curiously. Inuki usually followed Yuzuriha to class. Until meeting Spinel, Yuzuriha had never seen the advantage of having an invisible magical companion.  
  
"Souppy likes to read. At least that is what he did when he was in Japan last time," laughed Nakuru.  
  
"Souppy?" queried Sorata.  
  
"Isn't it cute!" gushed Nakuru.  
  
"When were you in Japan before, when Eriol met Tohru?" Arashi asked. She glanced over to Kamui, who still seemed a bit uncomfortable with his parentage.   
  
"Oh no, we were here about three years ago. Eriol had to check on the Clow Cards," explained Nakuru in a voice that seemed to assume that everyone already knew the whole story about them.  
  
"The Clow Cards? What were those?" wondered Kamui. Another mystery to add to the pile. It seemed as if his father's sudden reappearance had opened as many doors as it had closed.   
  
Kamui had expected today to be a miserable day, but instead it had gone rather well. Nakuru was introduced as a cousin of Kamui's, and she seemed to be getting along with the other students. Kamui had been pondering about the events that had taken place in the last day, as well as those alluded to by Nakuru. He had completely forgotten to sulk about destiny, Subaru or any of his past traumas. In fact until now, Kamui hadn't thought about any of those things all day. Kamui was startled from his thoughts by the cheerful voice of Yuzuriha.  
  
"Nakuru-chan and I are going to do a little shopping today. Would you please help with dinner tonight for me?" begged Yuzuriha in a voice that made it hard to refuse her anything.   
  
Kamui gave his assent, and the two girls dashed off. He knew there were a lot of dangers in Tokyo, but he felt sure that everything would be all right.  
  
Sorata and Arashi exchanged looks.   
  
As they came to the door of the Imonoyama mansion they noticed that there was someone there waiting for them. She was a tall girl who had similar coloring to Eriol.   
  
"Look! It's Kamui's long-lost sister!" stage-whispered Sorata to Arashi. Arashi hit him, hard. Kamui stared, his face colored by anger and embarrassment at Sorata's comment. The girl either hadn't heard the comment or had chosen to ignore it.  
  
"Are you Shirou-san? Hiragiizawa-kun asked me to visit with you." She bowed to Kamui. "Nice to meet you, my name is Tomoyo Daidouji."  
  
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Nakuru was having a wonderful time wandering in Harajuku with Yuzuriha. Nakuru had never been alone with a teen-age girl before. She'd gone shopping with Eriol, but it just wasn't the same and Kaho was too serious to be any fun. Yuzuriha was like her; friendly, cheerful, and always happy to find something to eat.   
  
The two girls had bought some clothes and then had gone to Kiddyland where Yuzuriha had bought quite a few stickers and a cell phone strap of a kitten inside of a strawberry shortcake. It was an absurd bauble and made Nakuru think of Eriol. It seemed like the sort of thing he would like. She decided to buy a plush version of the cat and send it to him. After buying their items, they walked to a nearby Haggen Daz to relax. Both had bought huge sundaes and were cheerfully eating.  
  
"Is the stuffed animal for you boyfriend Nakuru-chan?" asked the perky Seal.  
  
"No, when I saw it, I thought of Eriol, it seemed like something he would like."  
  
"Do you miss him?" inquired Yuzuriha.  
  
"This is my first time since I was created being away from him. I've known for a long time I was created to be a Guardian of the Seal, but it is strange not being with him. This stuffed animal made me think of him. He has a taste for the 'different'." Nakuru explained with a seriousness that surprised even her. "I must be spending too much time with Souppy," she thought.  
  
"Do you have a boyfriend?" demanded Yuzuriha in a conspiratorial tone.  
  
Before Nakuru could explain, a startled gasp came from her shopping companion. "Kusanagi-san!"  
  
A large muscular man headed to the table where Nakuru and Yuzuriha sat. He hadn't expected to meet Yuzuriha. Kusanagi had been trying to forget about the unpleasant conversation he had had earlier with /Kamui/ when he had noticed Yuzuriha through the window as he passed by the ice cream shop. Despite the fact that he felt guilty keeping his true identity from Yuzuriha, her presence always made him feel light-hearted. /Kamui/ was annoyed about some strange dream of Kakyou's and was trying to enlist the aid of the other Angels to discover its meaning. Kusanagi had no intention of spying on the Seals and had made that completely clear to /Kamui/ which, had lead to /Kamui/ being rather unamused.  
  
"Nakuru-chan, I'd like you to meet Kusanagi Shiyuu. Kusanagi-san this is Nakuru Akizuki."  
  
Nakuru guessed from Yuzuriha's tone of voice and facial expressions that this man was very important to her.  
  
"Yuzu-chan, I want to get another gift at Kiddyland can I meet you back here?"  
  
Yuzuriha wanted to stop her, but relished having some time alone with Kusanagi-san. Before Nakuru disappeared out of the shop, she winked at Yuzuriha.   
  
"Kusanagi-san, it is so good to see you," blushed Yuzuriha.  
  
Kusanagi smiled back at her. They talked about meaningless things until Nakuru returned and then Kusanagi made his exit. As he walked away from the shop, he wondered who Nakuru Akizuki was.  
  
********************************  
  
The last person on /Kamui/'s list of Angels to visit was his most recent convert. He knew exactly where the Sakurazukamori would be. He entered the garden and found Subaru watering one of the peonies. The Sakurazukamori had no expression and seemed to be in a trance, dead to the emotions he might have at one point had.  
  
"How do you keep them blooming in September?" grinned /Kamui/.  
  
Subaru turned to look at the intruder. His green eye reflected contempt while his brown eye showed only merriment.   
  
"I've come to see how my new Angel is adjusting." /Kamui/ was still greeted by a stony silence from Subaru.  
  
"I'm thinking of attacking another kekkai just so I can see Kamui's face when I tell him you've joined with me."  
  
Subaru's hand suddenly came out and grabbed /Kamui/ around the neck and started to squeezed for a moment.   
"I might be a Chi no Ryu, but I won't take my orders from you and I won't be involved until the 'Promised Day.' If you try and use me to hurt Kamui I will hunt you down. The Sakurazukamori's prey does not escape."  
  
/Kamui/ attempted to knock Subaru's hand off of his throat. Despite his failure, he looked at the Sakurazukamori and chuckled. "Now that I have your attention, I came for some information on the Seals regarding a wand and some winged creatures."  
  
Subaru's hand released /Kamui/'s neck and in a fluid motion Subaru turned his back to /Kamui/ and started to walk back to the house. "I said I will not be involved."  
  
/Kamui/ rubbed his neck where the Sakurazukamori had gripped him. While Subaru might not be as powerful as the "Kamui", with the combined power of the Sakurazukamori and as the ex-head of the Sumeragi Clan, he was still a force to be reckoned with and something not to be taken lightly. Fortunately, the Sakurazukamori had unwittingly answered /Kamui/'s question. 


	4. Kamui and the New Outfit

I don't own X or Card Captor Sakura.  
  
Thank you to all the people who have left me feedback so far. ^_^ I truly appreciate it.   
  
Receiving feedback is truly appreciated, particularly since this is my first fan-fiction.  
********************************  
  
Guardians of the Seal  
by Rachel  
  
Chapter 4: Kamui and the New Outfit  
  
Kamui stood on a coffee table while Daidouji-san finished pinning the hem for his jacket. He had no idea how he had gotten talked into this. Sorata and Arashi were watching him from a couch and Sorata was finding this all just a little too amusing for Kamui's comfort.   
  
Kamui also wasn't completely pleased by what he was wearing. Rather than his usual school uniform, Kamui was now wearing what at first glance appeared to be a black jacket trimmed with a purple stripe and a pair of purple biker shorts. The jacket was shorter in the front and flared out in the back curving down to reach as far as Kamui's knees. Daidouji-san was hard at work fixing the back hem so that the jacket would be just the right length. The front of the jacket had purple frogs closing it and revealed Kamui's bare midrif. Kamui was also wearing a pair of purple gloves, black boots and a large black beret with a purple insignia of the Big Dipper on it.   
  
"Why are we doing this again?" sighed Kamui, hoping there was some way to get out of it.  
  
"As I told Sakura-chan, when one does special things, one needs special outfits. Hiragiizawa-kun, told me you do many special things," Tomoyo explained to him. "I'm so happy to have this opportunity to make costumes again," she gushed blithely.  
  
"How did you know to come here?" asked Arashi.  
  
"Hiragiizawa-kun called me on the telephone last night. He told me he knew someone named Kamui Shirou, who was in need of my costume making services. Since Sakura-chan hasn't been doing as many special things, I haven't been making her costumes very often," answered Tomoyo in a voice tinged with regret. "I've made a few things for Cultural Festivals and for parties but it is not the same."  
  
Kamui was thankful he didn't have to explain to Daidouji-san that 'Hiragiizawa-kun' was really his father.   
  
There was a knock on the door and Nokuru entered the room where Daidouji-san was working on Kamui's costume. He was rather amused to see the bizarre costume on the Seal but felt getting out of a school uniform was probably good for Kamui. As Nokuru entered, Arashi excused herself to work on dinner. Since Yuzuriha was still out shopping and Kamui seemed indisposed, Arashi took it upon herself to make their meal. Spinel had been in the kitchen working on dinner since before they'd arrived home from school.   
  
Sorata was stuck in a bind. He could follow Arashi to the kitchen and have the chance to spend time with the beautiful miko, or he could stay here and enjoy laughing at Kamui. With Arashi gone, there wouldn't be anyone here to stop his teasing of Kamui. Nokuru was even likely to encourage his antics. Surprising himself, he decided to stay. Kamui was rather disappointed, as he had hoped Arashi's departure would be an incentive for Sorata to exit as well.  
  
"Daidouji-san, you do fabulous work," commented Nokuru  
  
"Thank you Imonoyama-san. I love making costumes."   
  
"Hey, Tomoyo, how come this costume was ready so quickly if Eriol only told you last night about this?"  
  
"Originally, I was making this outfit for Sakura-chan, but she hasn't needed any costumes lately so I thought, judging from what Hiragiizawa-kun said, it would be easy to re-work it for Shirou-san."  
  
Before Daidouji-san had finished her reply Sorata had started to laugh, Kamui's costume was originally meant for a girl! Even Nokuru found this somewhat amusing, and was laughing quietly behind his fan. Kamui was about to try and make a clever retort when Yuzuriha and Nakuru dashed into the room with their many shopping bags.  
  
"Sorry we're back so late!--Kamui! You look adorable!" gushed Yuzuriha as she noticed the Seal on the table. "I wish we could all get cute outfits like that!"  
  
"That can be arranged," smirked Nokuru. "I would never want to disappoint a lady."  
  
Now the laugh was on Sorata, who wasn't really sure he wanted Tomoyo making something for him.   
  
"I'd be pleased to make outfits for as many people as you would like," graciously offered Tomoyo. She suddenly noticed the high school girl standing next to Yuzuriha. "Akizuki-san?"  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!" shouted Nakuru exuberantly as she launched herself at the junior high student. "I see Eriol convinced you to help Kamui's wardrobe."  
  
Tomoyo was surprised to see Nakuru. "Akizuki-san, is Hiragiizawa-kun here to?"  
  
Nakuru laughed. "No, Souppy and I are here as the Guardians of the Seal." She pointed towards Kamui as she said the last word. "How is Touya-kun? Is he still with that useless Yue? Touya-kun must be very handsome now. And how is Sakura-chan and Eriol's other cute relative?" Nakuru winked at Kamui with that last comment.  
  
"Please don't tell me I have a half-sibling," thought Kamui miserably.   
  
"I thought Kero-chan was the Beast of the seal?" asked Tomoyo.  
  
"No, he is the Guardian Beast," sighed an exasperated Nakuru. Why did no one seem to understand these things. "Souppy and I were made to be Guardians of the Seal."  
  
Sorata suddenly grasped something that had been nagging at his mind since they met Eriol the day before.   
  
"Eriol must have known Kamui was going to pick to be a Seal!" Sorata began to wonder if the boy had been telling the truth when he had told the assembled group he didn't know who was going to win. He was also beginning to wish he had asked Eriol about his relationship with Ne-chan instead of about the "Promised Day".  
  
"If Spinel is here, perhaps Kero-chan can come to visit. I know Kero-chan would like very much to have someone to play video games with while we are at school." Tomoyo smiled at everyone and then looked directly at Nokuru.  
  
"I can not deny a woman anything," explained Nokuru with a gracious smile.  
  
The other Seals sighed. Whatever this "Kero-chan" might be, they weren't sure they wanted to meet him. Daidouji-san finished the hem on the jacket and promised to have the other outfits ready for Kamui quickly. She then called her mother with her cell phone. With the jacket finished, Kamui dashed out of the room to change back to his school uniform without even saying good-bye. Daidouji-san said her farewells and Nokuru walked her out. "Are you sure you don't want to stay the night Daidouji-san?"   
  
"My mother is sending the car," smiled Tomoyo at Imonoyama-san. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Is your mother Sonomi Daidouji?" asked a curious Nokuru.  
  
"Hai! Please say good-bye to Shirou-san for me. I will have the outfits ready. Hiragiizawa-kun said that Shirou-san would need them soon." Tomoyo exchanged a knowing look with Imonoyama-san.   
  
A car pulled up with several female bodyguards and Tomoyo moved to get in. Before she got into the car she turned to Imonoyama-san, "Shirou-san is lucky to have such a protective father."   
  
As the car sped off Nokuru Imonoyama chuckled. Daidouji-san was a very clever young woman.  
  
Dinner was a much more raucous affair than usual, with Nokuru, Sorata, and Nakuru in very high spirits. None of them could resist on remarking on Kamui's newly found fashion sense.   
  
"With an outfit like that Kamui is sure to get a husband," teased Sorata. "Hey Ne-chan! Would you wear something like that for me, black boots are pretty--OWWW!!!"   
  
Arashi jabbed Sorata's hand with her fork and got up from the table to start on the dishes. When she got into the kitchen she found Spinel already working on them. At least this guardian seemed useful. 


	5. Kamui, Yuzuriha and the Nighttime Advent...

/Kamui/=Fuuma. Fuuma and the Chi no Ryu think of Fuuma as /Kamui/. Kamui and the Dragons of Heaven think of Fuuma as Fuuma.  
  
I don't own X or Card Captor Sakura.  
  
Feedback is always appreciated.  
********************************  
  
Guardians of the Seal  
by Rachel  
  
Chapter 5: Kamui, Yuzuriha and the Nighttime Adventure  
  
"Have you found any information Satsuki-chan?" asked Yuuto. He had spent several hours searching on-line through old newspaper articles but, as he had suspected, nothing mentioned creatures with butterfly wings. Secretly, Yuuto thought /Kamui/ had finally lost it and was sending them on a wild goose chase.   
  
"Satsuki-chan?" Yuuto called again when the girl failed to answer him.  
  
Satuski was an attractive teen-ager but spent way too much time with her computer and that computer was just evil in Yuuto's opinion. Yuuto called her name a third time but she still didn't respond. After another few minutes, Satsuki unhooked herself from Beast and jumped down to Yuuto. She giggled as he helped steady her.   
  
"I found out the most amusing thing when I was searching through video footage just now," laughed Satsuki. On any other girl the sound would have been endearing, but with Satsuki the noise seemed more malevolent. Yuuto wasn't really sure what attracted him to her.   
  
"What did you see Satsuki?" asked a deep voice.   
  
Satuski and Yuuto turned to see /Kamui/ had returned to their lair.   
  
"Please share Satsuki," grinned /Kamui/.   
  
Yuuto decided that /Kamui/'s grin was the only thing more disturbing than Satsuki's laughter. Before Satsuki could answer, Nataku approached the other Angels.   
  
"'Tou-san," sighed Nataku in its child-like voice.   
  
/Kamui/ moved over to his throne with Nataku following several steps behind. Nataku rested his head in /Kamui/'s lap like an overly spoiled lapdog. "Shhhh Kazuki", comforted /Kamui/ with an evil smile. "Let me just hear what Satsuki has to tell us and then I will read you a story and tuck you into bed."  
  
Watching /Kamui/ playing father to Nataku, or Kazuki as Nataku liked /Kamui/ to call it, always was an unsettling sight to Yuuto and Satsuki.   
  
"Now Satsuki, what little secret have you discovered that is giving you so much glee."  
  
"It's seems Shiyuu, our erstwhile compatriot, has a girlfriend, and said girlfriend is a Ten no Ryu. I saw them together this afternoon in an ice cream shop."  
  
Yuuto raised an eyebrow. "Is it that cute fiery redhead?"  
  
Satsuki glared at Yuuto from behind her glasses. That man was always looking at women, even ones on the other side! She wasn't completely sure what she saw in him. "No, it was the girl with the spirit dog."  
  
Now this was interesting. No wonder Shiyuu had proved to be so unhelpful. "Was there anyone else with them?" purred /Kamui/.   
  
"Yes, I saw another high school girl wearing a Clamp uniform. She is not a Seal, but I haven't been able to find anything about her yet."   
  
"Perhaps, after I put Kazuki to bed, I should pay a visit to Shiyuu to find out more about his girlfriend and what else he has been keeping from us." /Kamui/ spoke in a perfectly civilized voice but his expression made it clear that his meeting with Shiyuu would be anything but.  
  
********************************  
  
Hinoto sat in her dreamscape chuckling maliciously. Somehow, she had earlier missed the the friendship that existed between the youngest Seal and one of the Chi no Ryu. The Angels had recently attained knowledge of it and /Kamui/ was planning on putting an end to it. Rainbow Bridge had been relatively successful, and this new opportunity seemed like an ideal way to get rid of the Inugami mistress.   
  
It wouldn't be difficult to use this newly found insight to hurt the Seals. Hinoto waited patiently for Yuzuriha to fall asleep and then sent her a carefully crafted dream, warning that the one she loved was in danger. If all went well, Yuzuriha's death would be a devastating blow to the Seals.  
  
********************************  
  
Yuzuriha wasn't sure what her dream meant, but it had caused her to awaken shaking with fear and a racing heart. She wondered why her dream hadn't been specific, but when she thought about some sort of danger befalling Kusanagi her common sense left her and she had to find him. The Imonoyama mansion was dark and silent, as Yuzuriha snuck out and headed to Meiji jingu where she knew Kusanagi would be. Unbeknownst to Yuzuriha, someone had seen her departure.  
  
Kamui moaned softly as he twisted within his blankets. It was nighttime, and Kamui was ruled by his nightmares again.   
  
Since Subaru had left, Kamui had been having a new nightmare. In this dream, Fuuma killed him while Subaru looked on in uncaring silence. Fuuma had just knocked Kamui's Shinken away and grasped Kamui's shoulder. He was about to slide his Shinken through Kamui again, like he had on so many other nights, in so many other dreams, when Kamui felt a strange movement on his shoulder. Slowly, Kamui was shaken into wakefulness.   
  
Groggy and disoriented from his dream, it took Kamui a few seconds to notice the black cat-like creature hovering near him. Before Kamui could formulate a question, the flying creature spoke to him. "Yuzuriha left the house."   
  
Kamui sat bolt upright, this was not good.  
  
********************************  
  
Kusanagi was walking down the path in Meiji jingu that use to be parallel to the Yamanote line. He found the sound of his feet on the pebbled path and the soft whispers of the trees comforting. At one point, Tokyo had had many temples and shrines with large parks, but as land became more valuable, the land had been sold and the trees murdered. Kusanagi sighed as he thought of the waste.  
  
"Nice evening for a walk Shiyuu," remarked a bass voice from overhead.  
  
Kusanagi turned to see /Kamui/ sitting on top of the fifty foot torii gate leading towards the actual shrine. The teen-ager hopped down and stood before Kusanagi.   
  
"Are you thinking of your girlfriend?" /Kamui/ chuckled.  
  
Yuzuriha saw the blasts before she arrived at the park-like grounds of Meiji jingu. Something was definitely wrong. She ran down the path skidding a bit on the pebbles until she came to the prone form of Kusanagi. "Kusanagi-san!" she shrieked.   
  
Kusanagi turned weakly at the sound of her voice. He hoped that it was some sort of mistake and that she wasn't there. This was too dangerous, but as he felt her soft hands gently touch him and her tears fall on him he knew somehow she had come.  
  
"You shouldn't involve yourself with this. I'm just disciplining one of my own," teased /Kamui/. "Or didn't your dear boyfriend tell you he was a Chi no Ryu?"  
  
Yuzuriha looked up in shock. Kusanagi-san couldn't be an Angel, he just couldn't. Inuki barred his teeth at the malevolent presence standing in front of its mistress.  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, he was my most useless Angel, never attacked a kekkai, never followed orders."  
  
Yuzuriha just stared, unable to digest what Fuuma was saying.  
  
"Ojou-chan, it's the truth, I...wanted to tell you, planned to, but...." Kusanagi sighed as he confirmed Yuzuriha's worst fears and then passed out. He was a Chi no Ryu. Yuzuriha was upset and her heart felt heavy in her chest, but she knew that she still loved him.   
  
"I don't care what he is!" she shouted at Fuuma, "I won't let you kill him!"  
  
"How sweet, the lovers plan to die together," mocked /Kamui/ This was going to be much more fun than just destroying a useless Angel. He powered up preparing a psionic blast for the lovebirds when he felt energy rip into him knocking him back several yards.  
  
"Leave them alone!" came a loud clear voice.  
  
/Kamui/ winced as he sat up. Someone had injured him. He saw that someone step out from the trees lining the path and head towards the couple on the path. The voice was familiar but the figure looked...different.  
  
Kamui rushed in front of Yuzuriha and Kusanagi. "We have to get him out of here! Now!" urged Kamui. Yuzuriha stared at him numbly. "Come on, I'm not sure how long I can distract Fuuma." Yuzuriha blinked and using Inuki, started to gather up the much larger man she loved.   
  
"Leaving so soon? The party isn't over yet," grinned /Kamui/ who was heading back towards the figures huddled on the path.   
  
Kamui turned to face his nemesis and best friend. "I will not let you hurt them Fuuma," declared Kamui.   
  
/Kamui/ stopped his approach as he finally got a good look at Kamui. What was the younger boy wearing?? Kamui's black jacket was swirling about his knees and was that a beret on his head? Was Kamui really wearing purple biker shorts? /Kamui/ couldn't help himself, the bizarre costume and the steely determination in Kamui's voice seemed at such odds that he found himself laughing at his hapless twin star. "What ARE you wearing?"   
  
Kamui silently cursed to himself. Why had he let Spinel convince him to change into his new costume before dashing off to help Yuzuriha. On the other hand, Fuuma seemed completely baffled by his new appearance which was certainly an advantage. Kamui took the opportunity and sent a surge of power towards Fuuma. Startled by Kamui's costume, it took Fuuma seconds to respond to the attack. He was able to divert the majority of the blast, but was still sent backwards several feet.   
  
Kamui watched him uncertain if he should attack again. Fuuma stood up and brushed the dust off his ripped clothes. "I'll give the couple a chance to talk." /Kamui/ smiled and jumped into the air, heading away from them.  
  
"Quick! Let's get out of here before Fuuma changes his mind," ordered Kamui.  
  
"But Kusanagi-san's...he's a ..." Yuzuriha tried to tell Kamui, but the words were just too hard to say. Kamui put his hand on her shoulder and looked at her. His eyes filled with compassion and understanding.  
  
"I know. But I won't let Fuuma hurt someone I care about again. Let's take your friend back to Clamp Campus."  
  
The two Seals gingerly lifted Kusanagi and with Inuki's help started heading home. It was a long trip, and Kamui was constantly searching behind them, afraid Fuuma would return. Finally, they made it back to the campus and the angry glares of Sorata, Arashi, Seiichirou, Karen, and Nakuru, who had awoken to find them gone. 


	6. Kamui, Yuzuriha, and the Other Seals

/Kamui/=Fuuma. Fuuma and the Chi no Ryu think of Fuuma as /Kamui/. Kamui and the Dragons of Heaven think of Fuuma as Fuuma.  
  
I don't own X or Card Captor Sakura.  
  
Feedback is always appreciated.  
********************************  
  
Guardians of the Seal  
by Rachel  
  
Chapter 6: Kamui, Yuzuriha and the Other Seals  
  
Sorata rushed forward and embraced Kamui. "How could you be so careless!" shouted Sorata while shaking the boy. "We've been worried sick! Why did you both dash out in the middle of the night! You could have run into Fuuma..." Kamui and Yuzuriha looked away. "...You did..."  
  
Arashi moved over to Kamui to begin checking for injuries. Both Kamui and Yuzuriha seemed fine, though extremely tired. The man with them was not as fortunate.  
  
"Why don't you both come inside and tell us what happened," suggested Karen. "We can see about finding some place for our guest to recover."  
  
"I think...I think you need to know something about him first," began Yuzuriha. "He's a..."  
  
"...He's someone important to Yuzuriha," interrupted Kamui. "See if there is anyway to wake Nokuru so he can be admitted to Clamp hospital."  
  
Karen looked at both Seals suspecting that Yuzuriha had planned to say something different than what Kamui had said. She frowned slightly. Kamui was hiding something.  
  
Seiichirou went inside to contact Nokuru. Nokuru, Suoh and Akira appeared almost immediately and took Kusanagi to the hospital. "Now, let's go inside and you can tell us what happened," said Seiichirou. "I'll make some hot chocolate and tea."  
  
********************************  
  
"Why didn't you wake me?" pouted Nakuru. "I am your Guardian. Spinel says you left while he was going to wake Sorata. Plus, you forgot your key! Though you did remember your costume."   
  
Yuzuriha still seemed shaken by what had happened so Kamui decided to take the brunt of everyone's questions and reprimands.  
  
"It's my fault. I wanted to go off and..." Kamui started to lie.  
  
"That won't work Kamui. Spinel already told us he woke you after he saw Yuzuriha leave," responded Arashi.  
  
Yuzuriha was nearly in tears now. Nakuru went over to her and put her arm around the despondent girl. "You're all right so everything is OK and I'm sure Kusanagi will be fine too." Nakuru smiled at her.  
  
Nakuru's comforting only made Yuzuriha feel worse, but she knew she had to tell them the truth. "When I first came to Tokyo, I met Kusanagi-san, he was the first person who I ever met who could see Inuki." Yuzuriha said this as if it would explain everything else that was to follow. "We've been friends since then," blushed Yuzuriha.  
  
Karen looked at the crimson girl, but didn't say anything.  
  
"I dreamed that he was in danger tonight and I had to leave. I knew he liked to walk in Meiji jingu and when I got there he was lying injured on the path." Yuzuriha stopped and glanced over at Kamui. "Fuuma was there and he was attacking Kusanagi-san, he said..." the girl started to cry.  
  
"...Fuuma said that Kusanagi was a Chi no Ryu," finished Kamui, glaring at the other Seals as if daring them to say something. "Spinel woke me and I headed after Yuzuriha. I wasn't sure where she was going so I couldn't wait for Spinel to wake anyone else. When I got to the shrine Fuuma was tormenting Yuzuriha, so I attacked him. I caught him by surprise and Fuuma decided to leave." Kamui purposely left out the part where Fuuma had laughed at his costume.  
  
The other Seals stared at him in shock. Seiichirou yawned. "I suggest we talk more about this later in the day. None of us have gotten enough sleep we will need to talk more about what has transpired."  
  
Each of the Seals headed to their respective bedrooms. On the way up the stairs Nakuru turned to Spinel. "So who is this Fuuma-guy anyway?" she asked, a bit annoyed that no one had explained this to her. Spinel only smiled. Now Nakuru would know how the others felt when she talked about Clow Cards.   
  
"I'll tell you about him later," yawned Spinel.  
********************************  
  
All of the Seals took the day off. They had spent too much of the night awake. Kamui was so exhausted that he fell into a deep sleep where he wasn't troubled by his dreams. Despite the deepness of his sleep, he awoke groggy in the middle of the afternoon. With trepidation he went to check on Yuzuriha, but her door was open and no one was in the room. The doors to the rest of the Seal's rooms also stood open. Hesitantly, Kamui went downstairs to see where everyone else was. Arashi and Spinel were sitting at the dinning room table drinking tea. "Have you seen Yuzuriha?" Kamui asked.  
  
"She's at the hospital," replied Arashi. Arashi glanced at Kamui. The poor boy looked very wary, as if he expected everyone to pounce on him for his actions. "Nakuru went with her to keep her spirits up."   
  
"I'm sorry about last night," spoke Kamui. He looked down at his feet angry at himself for betraying the other Seal's trust by dashing off.  
  
Arashi stared at the tearful boy before her. Sometimes he seemed so strong and sure of himself and other times he seemed so fragile, like a strong wind could blow him away.   
  
Spinel flew to Kamui and put his paw to Kamui's face. "It's my fault as well. I'd forgotten about all the dangers you could face outside the campus," explained Spinel. "Eriol told us some information about why you needed guardians, but not everything. Had I known, I would have left with you."  
  
Arashi reached out and lightly touched Kamui's hand. He looked up at her, still feeling awkward. "Everything worked out." Arashi got up and headed towards the kitchen. "What would you like for lunch Kamui?" she asked  
  
********************************  
  
Yuzuriha spent the day and part of the night at the hospital waiting for Kusanagi to recover consciousness. The other Seals and Nakuru took turns keeping her company. Eventually, Sorata forced her to return with them to the Imonoyama mansion to sleep. Yuzuriha still felt very guilty about the whole episode and about her lack of judgment in falling in love with an Angel, but everyone was very comforting.   
  
Spinel had decided he needed to sleep in the same room as Kamui as an added measure of protection. At first Kamui was reluctant, but the other Seals and Nakuru were quite insistent. Nakuru rather bluntly pointed out that one of his Guardians should be with him at night and Kamui could pick either her or Spinel. It was an easy choice for Kamui. Kamui made a bed for Spinel in one of the unused drawers in his dresser.   
  
It was also decided that Kamui needed to have his magical key with him at all times as well. Nakuru was the one who suggested turning it into a necklace. Like having a room mate, Kamui was originally deadset against it, but his will power was nothing when faced with Nakuru.  
  
That night Kamui was visited by his recurring nightmare again. Once again Kamui was at Tokyo Tower on the "Promised Day." The other Seals were all fighting other Angels and he was facing Fuuma and Subaru. Fuuma came at Kamui with his Shinken and Kamui just stood there confused by Subaru's presence. At the last moment, he started to fight Fuuma. Kamui knew what the outcome was going to be. Though he didn't know he was dreaming, he had no hope of beating Fuuma. Subaru continued to watch them impassively. Kamui's Shinken was knocked away and Fuuma prepared his death blow when Kamui felt someone rubbing his head and making comforting sounds. "Subaru...." he sighed and drifted into a dreamless sleep. Spinel drifted back to his drawer as Kamui left his nightmare behind.  
  
The next morning, things seemed relatively normal around the kitchen table, except Yuzuriha wasn't there. She and Nakuru had left to return to their vigil around Kusanagi. "Perhaps I should stay home and keep Yuzuriha company as well," suggested Kamui.  
  
Spinel, Sorata and Arashi gave him an incredulous look.   
  
"Do you know how much school you've already missed because of your injuries?" demanded Arashi. "What are you going to do with yourself after the 'Promised Day'!"  
  
"Yeah, it's not like your doomed to die like me," teased Sorata.  
  
Arashi hit him. "I'm sick of you saying that!" she shouted at Sorata. "Do you know how uncomfortable it makes me when you talk about your death? You might take it as a forgone conclusion and talk lightly about it, but it really upsets me!"  
  
Sorata blushed. She did care about him! "Ne-chan--I'm sorry, I never wanted to bother you."  
  
"Isn't your fate to die for the woman you love Sorata-san?" asked Spinel. "That doesn't necessarily mean you're going to die on the 'Promised Day', just for the woman you love." Spinel gave Sorata a wry smile, "Which means you better start working harder or you'll never be able to support a wife and children."   
  
Sorata and Arashi both blushed. Kamui smiled to himself, happy that they were both starting to recognize their feelings for one another. This was not the time to tell them he didn't think he would survive his final encounter with Fuuma. Kamui had begun to believe the nightmare he had been having was a foretelling dream, a warning of what his future was to be. It seemed he only had one destiny now and he was prepared to face it.  
  
Karen came down the stairs and entered the dinning room. "Don't you three have school?" she winked. They all hurried off leaving Karen and Spinel alone in the room. "Would you pour me some tea please Spinel?"  
  
********************************  
  
Sorata had a hard time concentrating during class. All he could think about was the fact Arashi did like him. He spent the entire morning writing her name over and over again. Sometimes he would write Arashi Arisugawa and other times just her given name. By the time morning classes were over, Sorata had named their future children and figured out where they should live. Arashi gave him a sharp look as they left class. "I missed writing down one of the math problems can I copy from your notes, Sorata?"  
  
He gave her a blank look.  
  
"I saw you writing something through out class..." Arashi grabbed Sorata's notebook before he could stop her. "...You spent class writing this!"  
  
Sorata cringed.  
  
********************************  
  
"Shirou-kun! I was so worried about you when you weren't in class yesterday!" shouted Keiichi Segawa as he rushed towards his best friend. Keiichi grabbed Kamui into a large hug and then released the dazed Kamui. "When you weren't in class yesterday I thought you might have gotten hurt again, but you seem fine." Kamui looked at his friend and wasn't sure what to say. He of course couldn't tell him what had really transpired.   
  
"No, I'm all right." Kamui gave one of his rare smiles to Keiichi.  
  
"If you'd like I can come over after school and we can go over my notes. Mihara-sensei gave us some really hard math problems. Perhaps your friend Sumeragi-san can help..."  
  
Keiichi stopped talking as he noticed the stricken look on Kamui's face. He wasn't sure what he had said, but something had disturbed Kamui.   
  
"I'm sorry Segawa-kun, but--but one of my housemates has a flu and I wouldn't want you to catch it." Kamui knew this was a pathetic excuse but he wasn't sure what else to say. He couldn't easily have a visitor when only the gods knew what was going to happen and he needed to get off the topic of Subaru.   
  
"It's all right Shirou-kun," smiled Keiichi. "Perhaps we can go to the library and photo-copy my notes from yesterday."   
  
Keiichi took Kamui's arm and led him affably to the library. 


	7. Kamui and the Surprise Guests

/Kamui/=Fuuma. Fuuma and the Chi no Ryu think of Fuuma as /Kamui/. Kamui and the Dragons of Heaven think of Fuuma as Fuuma.  
  
I don't own X or Card Captor Sakura.  
  
Feedback is always appreciated.  
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Guardians of the Seal  
by Rachel  
  
Chapter 7: Kamui and the Surprise Guests  
  
Kamui returned to the Imonoyama mansion alone, exhausted from his day at school. His attendance had been rather sporadic and this was the first time he had gone to school twice in a week since his decision. That fateful decision that had started everything. It had cost Kotori her life and changed his life forever. Tears threatened to overtake him as he thought about all he had lost, when he heard strange shouts coming from inside the Imonoyama mansion.   
  
Wiping his eyes, Kamui burst through the door, curious despite his gloomy thoughts. He removed his shoes and followed the shouts into the living room. Inside, Spinel was quietly reading a book with a put upon expression and cotton stuffed in his ears. Facing the TV and a Playstation sat Nokuru, Akira, and Suoh. Nokuru and Akira were shouting rather loudly and Suoh had a similar expression to Spinel. On closer inspection, Kamui realized none of the Campus trio were actually playing the game. He wondered who was.   
  
"It's Kero," sighed Spinel, who noticed Kamui peering from the doorway. "He came with more costumes for you from Tomoyo."   
  
Kamui still wasn't sure what a "Kero" was. He approached the video game console and noticed what appeared to be a small yellow teddy bear with a lion's tail and wings. It was shouting the loudest of all and appeared to be playing the game. Kamui surmised that this was a "Kero."  
  
"ACK!!!" shrieked Kero as he lost his game.   
  
"My turn!" shouted Nokuru enthusiastically. Before he could start to play he noticed Kamui behind them. "Do you want next turn Kamui?"  
  
Kamui gurgled, unsure of what to say.  
  
"Have any more snacks Akira? You cook even better than Tomoyo!" declared Kero. Despite having lived in Tokyo for four years, Kero retained his strong Kansai accent. He turned to look towards the new arrival in the room. "So who's the kid?"  
  
Akira disappeared into the kitchen to bring out more snacks and Spinel glared at Kero.   
  
"You are really stupid," sighed Spinel.  
  
Kero flew towards Spinel and started punching the space separating them. "Who you calling stupid?"  
  
Spinel rolled his eyes and sighed. Kero was even more tedious than Nakuru. He wished someone else had delivered Kamui's new costumes.  
  
"This is Kamui Shirou," introduced Nokuru, who stood next to the boy with his arm around Kamui's shoulders.   
  
"He's saving humanity," added Akira who returned with a tray of sweets and placed them on a coffee table.  
  
Kero flew towards Kamui and circled the teen. He stared at him several moments not saying anything. "You sure are short!" announced Kero.  
  
Kamui started to sputter.  
  
"You still have no manners," said a disappointed Spinel, who shook his head in shame. "Even Nakuru has more sense than you do."  
  
"Try saying that again!" squawked Kero who was suddenly covered by a strange glowing light. When the light passed a large lion with wings in some sort of armor was standing where the small yellow creature had been. "I'll beat you easily, just like last time."  
  
Spinel just gave Kero a withering look.   
  
It was at that moment that Sorata and Arashi entered the living room. Their eyes were as huge as saucers when they saw the winged lion in the room.  
  
"Perhaps you should return to your false form Kero-san," suggested Nokuru in a mild voice.  
  
"But this form is so much cooler!" exclaimed Kero.  
  
"But your other form is better for playing video games," supplied Suoh in a desperate bid to try and return to some semblance of normality.   
  
Kero scratched his head and thought for a moment. Huge white feathered wings swallowed his form and when they parted the yellow teddy bear had returned. He grabbed the idle controller from the floor and started another game.   
  
Other than Kero, who was shrieking with delight over his game, the room was silent. Everyone was rather startled when the doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it," offered Arashi in an attempt to escape from this awkward situation. Several moments later, she returned with a short junior high school boy who was looking around the room and scowling. His attitude reminded her of someone else, but she couldn't put her finger on it.  
  
"It's time to leave," the boy said gruffly to Kero.  
  
Kero turned to look at this new voice. "Hey! What's the brat doing here?"  
  
The boy started to glare at Kero angrily.  
  
"Excuse me, I've been so rude and failed to introduce myself," said Arashi in a vain attempt to stop the fight between the new arrival and the yellow creature. "My name is Arashi Kishuu."  
  
"I'm Sorata Arisugawa but everyone calls me Sora-chan." The monk walked over to where the boy and Arashi were standing and put his arm around Arashi while he smiled at the boy. Arashi gently removed it.   
  
"I thought we were past this stage?" sighed Sorata.  
  
"I'm Nokuru Imonoyama and this is Suoh Takamura and Akira Ijyuin." All three bowed politely to the frowning boy.  
  
"Shorty is called Kamui," piped up Kero before Kamui could introduce himself. Kamui gave a cold glare to Kero. "He's the one Tomoyo-chan made the costumes for."  
  
The boy cast an apologetic look towards Kamui. He then glanced again at Kamui, as if studying him. "I'm Syaoran Li, and Sakura asked me to escort Kero home because she is in charge of dinner."  
  
"But I'm winning!" complained Kero. He took his eyes off the game for a second to stare down Syaoran.   
  
"EHH! NOOO!" Kero's momentarily lapse in concentration had ended his game. "I want to stay here for dinner!" pouted Kero. "This guy sure cooks well. Besides it's not like you have something to do, brat!"  
  
"You weren't invited," noted Spinel.  
  
Kero made threatening moves towards Spinel again and Syaoran turned and glared at both creatures.  
  
"Actually, Kamui is making dinner tonight," laughed Sorata. "He's practicing for when he'll be a..." Arashi clamped a hand over his mouth hoping to prevent the situation from getting even more out of control.  
  
"Shorty cooks?"  
  
Kamui stopped giving Sorata a threatening look and turned all his attention to Kero.   
  
While Syaoran wasn't overly fond of the stuffed animal, he knew Sakura would be hurt if something happened to Kero. From the looks that Kamui was giving Kero, Syaoran decided it would be a good idea to make a fast exit. The violet-eyed teen was giving off way too much magical power. There was also the matter of Spinel sitting on the couch, where Spinel was, Eriol was sure to follow and Syaoran had no desire to ever see him again. Syaoran grabbed a protesting Kero and headed towards the door.   
  
Nokuru, ever the perfect host, showed them out. As the door shut, Kamui let out a loud sigh.  
  
"Aren't you happy you didn't end up with him as your Guardian," said Spinel. 


End file.
